Cuomo, Rosselló announce joint Puerto Rico recovery working group

Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Ricardo Rosselló of Puerto Rico announced a joint partnership on Thursday to help ensure the island can secure federal funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Cuomo hosted Rosselló and his staff on Thursday, taking him for an aerial tour of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy just five years ago, in an effort to help show Rosselló and his team how New York handled the disaster and rebuilding efforts after that storm.

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“We feel very strongly as a state that went through 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy and we saw first responders come from all across the country to help us,” Cuomo said, speaking to reporters in his Manhattan office following a closed-door meeting with officials. “As governor it’s very important to me to reciprocate in that regard and just as people helped us, we are there to help people who are in trouble."

The governors met with representatives from the Rockefeller, Ford and Open Society Foundations, in addition to other partners from Columbia University, the New York Power Authority and the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency services.

Cuomo and Rosselló said a task force, set to deploy in the coming weeks, will work in two phases: first, helping to assess storm damage to secure the accurate level of federal funding in order to ensure the island’s long-term recovery; and second, working with a team of technical experts, business leaders and non-for-profit groups to determine the island’s long-term needs and how to build better lasting infrastructure.

“A big part of this function is technical; having the technical expertise to do a damage assessment and technical expertise to know construction, to know infrastructure," Cuomo said. "We had a group of some of the best minds literally on the planet in that regard."

Cuomo also announced the state will deploy additional emergency utility crews this week, including 350 utility personnel and 220 bucket trucks and special equipment. The state will send a "Tactical Power Restoration Team" to Puerto Rico, which will include 28 engines and 15 damage assessment experts to aid in efforts to restore the island’s electrical grid.

Rosselló, who has been criticized by local Puerto Rican lawmakers for his response to the disaster and for not being hard enough on President Donald Trump during his visit to the island, said he’s been trying to keep politics out of recovery efforts, dismissing criticism from local elected officials who have faulted him in recent weeks as “political noise.”

“This is not the time to politicize an event because the people are in the middle of it," Rosselló said. "I invite everyone to have an open mind and open spirit."

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has been among the most critical of the governor. Last week, she accused Rosselló of “defending incompetence and mediocrity” when reports surfaced that Puerto Rico’s emergency management director was on a two-week vacation as most of the island remains without water and power.

She responded on Thursday on Twitter by slamming Rosselló’s comments saying, “Not sure how defending dignity of those you represent after they've been denigrated is political.”